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California town wants to make gun insurance mandatory

2022-01-26T01:51:34.938Z


The purpose of this law is not to limit the purchase of firearms but the physical damage that they regularly cause as well as the financial cost that this entails for the community.


The Californian city of San Jose wants to compel owners of firearms to take out insurance for the damage their gear could cause.

The decree, examined Tuesday January 25 in first reading by the city council, would also oblige the owners to discharge a modest annual tax (25 dollars) intended to finance NGOs fighting against violence linked to weapons.

The purpose of this law is not to limit the purchase of firearms but the physical damage that they regularly cause as well as the financial cost that this entails for the community, explain the municipal authorities.

Read also“Weapons are in the DNA of the United States”: journey to the heart of American excess

“We have seen how insurance has reduced road deaths over the decades, for example with financial incentives to promote safe driving and the purchase of cars fitted with airbags and anti-lock braking systems

,” points out Sam Liccardo, the mayor of this city of a million inhabitants, the largest in northern California.

“Similarly, gun insurance currently available on the market can adjust its amount to encourage owners to keep their guns in a safe, install locking systems and take safety courses,”

he continues. .

While the 2nd Amendment protects the right of all citizens to own a gun, it does not stipulate that the taxpayer must subsidize this right.

»

Sam Liccardo, Mayor of San Jose

Guns are commonplace in the United States, where about 40 percent of adults live in households with at least one gun, according to the Pew Research Center.

Nearly 23 million firearms were sold in the country in 2020 and around 40,000 people are shot and killed each year (including suicides).

Despite this devastation and the fact that a majority of Americans say they favor stricter gun controls, politicians have failed to toughen the laws on the matter, opponents invoking the Constitution and the protection of their freedoms individual.

Read alsoCalifornia at war against kit firearms

"While the 2nd Amendment protects the right of all citizens to own a gun, it does not stipulate that the taxpayer must subsidize this right"

, notes Sam Liccardo.

In a press release, the San Jose City Council estimates the cost of gun violence to the city at around $40 million per year (police, rescue, investigations, etc.).

The National Foundation for Gun Rights, a group opposed to the proposed city ordinance, called the measure

"blatantly unconstitutional

," as implausible as a

"free speech tax"

or a

"tax on the right to go to church"

.

The decree will pass a second reading next month and should enter into force in August if it is adopted.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2022-01-26

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